Mossberg Reviews the Spin Video Chat App

10/1/2013 9:00PM

Many video chatting services require paid subscriptions or joining a social network, but Walt Mossberg shows us the new touch-centric Spin app for iPhones and iPads. Despite a few minor flaws, it is functional and fun. (Photo: Net Power and Light)

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... I ... I would you like to be able ... to above video conference ... with up to ten of your friends ... for free ... with out signing up for an account ... right on your I phone or I pay ... well now you can ... I this is why prospered from Wall Street Journal ... and this week I took a look at a new video chatting or conferencing app ... called Spin ... which ... runs for the moment on Apple devices I Phones Taipans Icahn touches ... but ... it ... in the first quarter of next year is ... expected to come to Android as well ... rather a lot of video crafting apps around including on these mobile devices ... but spin is a little different ... somebody apps ... only allow you to talk to one other person so it's a two party conversation ... spin ... as I said what she talked up to ten people in one ... chat session what they call a gathering ... of some of the apps ... which to allow ... the group ... video calling ... either charge for it or require you to sign up for an account on a ... server Sir social network of some kind ... and as I said spin does not require you to sign up for an account at all to purchase a it's ... a chance ... the other interesting thing about spin is that it's built for touch from the ground up so ... you just ... flake and pensions movements white to ... ensure in need ... of these gatherings to invite people into the aam ... and ... she is one of its other real cool features which is the ability to share ... photos and videos ... with everybody in the group ... and even that ... in most cases allow them to ALM ... flip through ... let's say an album of photos ... even if it's one that you give ... I decided to share ... um ... there are other features in these ... it's been gatherings ... you can prison's up going is movie tie all representing a particular person if you want one of pay more attention that person have that person be let order ... if a video showing you can also adjust the Audi O so they either you're ... giving more prominence to the ... soundtrack of the video for you giving more prominence to the conversation of the people gathering ... around the video ... it's not a social network ... other people using it that you can't know with whom your any gathering unless they are invited to the gathering ... and you never have to be in a gathering that and you don't wanna be in the week just randomly for you when ... certain against her will ... I aam and they have a whole much mother privacy protections ... there are a number of other features built and I aam ... you can ... a ... few kind of silly things you can ... throw tomatoes cartoon tomatoes are ... you know project cartoon art store ... paper airplanes ... you can ... cause applause ... to be heard in the gathering and these things are ... I thought somewhat juvenile but they ... would work I think a pretty well in the case ... where are you are up all watching with say the same televised football or baseball team and ... that was ... it was obvious reaction to what's going on the field ... there are some downsides to spend ... I think because it is so different is so touch based in ... you you ... use use it you probably need to summon like sky for FaceTime ... I'm ... there's a learning curve ... a ... very are up were called help overlays that is you get a ... question mark but man and little tips appear on the screen and then go away and that's helpful ... but um it really took me a couple or three sessions before I felt fully comfortable with the faults features ... I know there ... a problem it has two with ... multiple ... email addresses ... most people and now ... and I invited ... some folks to be in a spin ... a gathering with me um ... it was a pre planned one which is another feature that product you can schedule and ahead of time ... and um I used an email address for these two people that um I knew ... that they signed in to spin using a different email address and I couldn't see them ... the company is planning to move quickly on this E-mail issue it's ... a ... plan to change the nature of the wording of the invitations make it clear that ... you should stick with one ... email addresses also I'm ... planning within about a month or so to allow you to ... use multiple email addresses more easily ... on span ... so all on there is some learning curve and there are still some ... flaws in this first release of the project but overall I thought it was ... aam ... good good quality ... effective ... I need a little whimsical